Porta ut Animus: The Joining of the Elements
by Catmoongirl
Summary: (Prologue and Chapter One reposted!)Jenna, Isaac, and Garet have disappeared without a trace. Patience wears thin and tempers flare as the parties travel to the Northern Reaches.
1. Prologue: Return of Alex

Prologue

Alex grumbled aloud as he set his chin in his hands. Piers' Lemurian ship rocked back and forth steadily. The sun was high in the sky, making the waves crashing against the boat sparkle like silver.

"Why couldn't I have been rescued by Isaac's group?" he thought to himself.

He desperately wanted to see Mia again and, in Felix's party, he was not greeted with the face of his beautiful clan member. Instead, all he got were dirty looks, unvarying glowers, and the occasional scornful remark from Jenna. He wasn't sure how long they had been at sea. After returning to the site of the destroyed Vale after the Mars beacon had been lit, Felix and Isaac's party had searched through the rubble, trying to find all that they could of their lost possessions. He remembered how he had partially awoken from his deep sleep after being hit in the head with a rock. He heard voices and felt stones being moved off his body. He vaguely remembered Felix lifting him up into his arms. "It'll be alright, Alex. You're safe now." That's what Felix had told him shortly before he passed out again. Perhaps it would have been better if they hadn't found him.

Sheba walked up on deck and looked around. She spotted Alex leaning against the ship's railing looking out over the ocean. "Yes, we could have left you to die there. At least _we _would have been happy," she snapped, catching his thoughts.

Alex didn't even bother to look over at her. The strong ocean breeze blew past, whipping his azure hair into his eyes. "Who said I wanted to die? I just don't like the company on this ship," he told the young wind Adept.

Sheba stomped over to him, seething with anger. Her psynergy flared up in anger and a weak breeze began to circle her. "That is so like you! We save your life and you're not even grateful!" She poked him in the chest to get the emphasis of her words across.

Alex grabbed her hand, causing Sheba to shiver; his skin was as cold as ice. "It's not that I'm ungrateful. I owe Felix much more than just my life. But I'd much rather be with someone else...although I don't think she would like to be in my presence."

Sheba pulled her hand away, unable to take the Mercurian's frigid grip any longer. She rubbed her hands together to warm her fingers back up. "Well, just suck it up and deal with it. We're going through a lot of trouble to bring you along to Contigo with us."

Alex shook his head with a smile. "For someone so young, you really have a lot of spunk. You have a free spirit."

Sheba couldn't help but smile proudly. "Faran was always telling me that. He said it's because I'm totally attuned with the wind, free and wild."

Alex turned and looked back out over the ocean, watching as waves rolled along over the water. "I think he was right."


	2. Chapter One: Bothering Jenna

**Chapter 1**

Alex found himself being shaken awake the next morning. "Alex, wake up," Sheba whispered excitedly in his ear. "You can already see Atteka. Come see the lighthouse with me!"

Alex rolled over, away from the young girl. He wasn't a morning person and he had planned to stay in bed until late afternoon. "Sheba, why must you pester me? Can't you ask Felix to do it?"

"But he didn't want to do it!" Sheba whined. "He said the currents are strong today and he can't afford to waste his attention or we may go straight past the inlet. Besides, no one else seems to care but me."

"Doesn't that tell you something?" Alex sighed tiredly and pulled the blankets over his head.

"Please, Alex?" She shook his shoulder gently.

He sighed again and sat up. "Fine, I'll be up as soon as I get dressed."

Sheba smiled cheerfully and left. Alex heard her boots clicking on the wooden floors as she walked up to the deck. Alex swung his feet over the edge of the bed, stepping into his shoes, placed conveniently at his bedside. Quickly pulling on his clothes and tunic and running his fingers through his hair, he walked up to the deck. He found Sheba leaning eagerly over the side, gazing intently at the landmass in front of them.

"Why's she so caught up in that thing?" Alex asked Felix who was at the wheel. "She's already been there once before."

Felix smiled and shrugged. Felix had been the only truly forgiving person on board when it came to Alex's so-called treachery when he tried to claim the power of the Golden Sun. As many times as the Earth Adept tried to explain the situation to his comrades, they seemed to turn a deaf ear to him. Although, lately, they had become a bit more tolerant of his presence. Instead of treating him with contempt, they became more passive, only accepting the fact that he existed. However, Jenna's hatred stayed strong.

"Why did Sheba ask you anyway? She told me she couldn't stand you," Felix said with a teasing grin.

"Well, obviously she enjoys my presence more." Alex told him, going along with his little game.

"And what evidence do you have of that?"

"Well, let's see, which of these combinations are elemental opposites, Mercury and Jupiter or Venus and Jupiter?" Alex said, using his hands to represent the weighing of both options. The hand that represented the latter of the two lowered while the other rose.

Felix shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. She likes me better and you know it."

Alex turned and began walking towards Sheba. "You keep thinking that, Felix. Maybe one day it'll come true."

He walked over to the side railing where Sheba was watching Jupiter Lighthouse with hopeful eyes, as if she expected something miraculous to happen. The great structure shot up from the land, it's light atop the beacon shining like a bright star in the early morning's soft, dim light. Alex leaned down next to her and watched her with a smile; her expression was truly amusing.

"It's beautiful," she said softly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I want to go back there, and look at the beacon one last time."

Alex put his hands on her shoulders and began to turn her away from the lighthouse. The situation was no longer amusing to him, but disturbing. He hid it though, for he did not wish to frighten Sheba. "That's the psynergy coming from it's light. It'll draw you in if you aren't careful. You absorbed raw psynergy atop Mars Lighthouse from what I heard. This makes you more prone to fall under the beacon's spell."

Sheba looked up at him questioningly. "But, Piers and Jenna didn't feel that way. Felix said he detested looking at it."

"He doesn't like to look at it because his are the powers of Venus. Venus and Jupiter are polar opposites. Therefore, you would hate to look upon the light of Venus Lighthouse. Did you not feel yourself growing weaker when Saturos lit the beacon?"

Sheba looked thoughtful. "Yes, I did. I remember now. It felt like someone was pushing me away, that's part of the reason I fell from the aerie. My legs were weak and something was pushing me."

Felix had joined them now, his hair blowing in the sea breeze. "I felt the same way atop Jupiter Lighthouse. It's part of the reason I found myself unable to fight Agatio and Karst. It felt like the lighthouse was absorbing my psynergy.

Sheba smiled and left Alex's grip only to walk into Felix's embrace. Alex watched them with a grin, wondering if they noticed what he did between them.

"What are you smiling at?" Felix asked with a laugh.

"Oh, nothing." Alex answered with a wave of his hand. "What happened to the currents?"

"They died down." Felix said, ruffling Sheba's hair.

"Hey, Felix," Jenna asked, emerging from below deck, her hair out of her normal pony tail, falling over her shoulders in rich, auburn curls. "Do you think we could stop and visit Hamma – "She stopped when she saw Alex. "Oh, it's you." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, dear Jenna, it is I." Alex said, teasing her with a sweeping, flowing bow.

Jenna glowered at her brother, who was snickering softly. "Don't play games with me, Alex."

The blue-haired Water Adept looked up from his bow. "Games?" He said, innocently. "Why...whatever do you mean?"

"I think she wants you to play hide-and-seek with her. She always begged me to play that with her when we were little." Felix said, trying to keep a straight face.

Jenna growled in frustration, her face turning as red as her dress and stomped back below deck, tired of trying to get either of them to act serious.

Alex straightened up from his bow and watched her angry retreat. "What's wrong with her? She doesn't really want to play hide and seek, does she? Is she expecting me to go looking for her?"

Felix leaned over and whispered. "Maybe it's one of those monthly problems."

Alex grinned and Sheba elbowed the Venusian in the stomach. "Come on, stop making fun of her. You're her brother!"

"And I love her, but it's just so easy to annoy the hell out of her. After all, it's so damn funny."

Sheba shook her head. "You know she's gonna set you on fire tonight just to get back at you."

"Yeah, I know..." Felix gave a defeated sigh. "I guess I'll just hide behind Alex here."

"You most certainly will not!" Alex said, indignantly. "She'll barbeque me worse than you! God forbid that her fire psynergy should singe even a single strand of my beautiful hair."


	3. Chapter Two: Ivan's Literal Unrest

Chapter 2  
"Mia," Ivan whispered, "can I bunk with you? Garet's talking in his sleep again."  
Mia yawned and nodded sleepily. "Sure, just be quiet. You'll wake Dora."  
Ivan began to lay his blanket on the floor when Mia scooted over in bed. "The floor's pretty hard. I doubt you'll get a good night's sleep. There's enough room for two of us if you want something more comfortable."  
The wind Adept sat on her bed, swinging his legs up before collapsing back onto her bed. Mia looked over at him and noticed dark circles surrounding his closed eyes. "You haven't gotten much sleep lately, have you?"  
Ivan rolled over, curling up like a small child. "Garet keeps thrashing around like he's having a nightmare. So if his insane mumbling doesn't wake me, his knee ramming my gut usually does."  
Ivan then fell into a deep slumber. Mia looked up and saw Dora smiling at her from the bed across the room. "Do you think Isaac's having nightmares as well?"  
Mia yawned and brushed back Ivan's hair. "It doesn't sound like it."  
Dora nodded. "He used to have a lot of nightmares after the accident. I used to have them too. He was 13 years old, but I still expected him to run into my room at night, crying about Kyle. But he never did. He always stayed in his room and cried himself back to sleep. I guess he thought it'd be a burden to me."  
"Isaac's been though a lot in the past few years. I've often worried about whether or not keeping it all bottled up is good for his health."  
Dora smiled at the Mercurian. "You really were meant to be a Healer, my dear girl. You certainly have the importance of others health high on your list."  
Mia frowned at Dora's remark. She hadn't always been so empathetic and compassionate. Before she had vowed to be a Healer, she was much more like Alex, who focused more on physical psynergy of battle rather than spiritual psynergy of healing. She was just as power hungry as he was before she had discovered her gift in the art of healing.  
Dora noticed her unease and began to question her but Ivan, still curled up next to Mia spoke. "Could you two please keep it down?" He mumbled groggily. "I'm trying to sleep."  
The two women smiled at each other before both settled back down to sleep. 


	4. Chapter Three: Jenna's Pleading

Chapter 3  
Jenna went below deck and found Piers sitting at the table, a glass filled with a small amount of rum sitting next to his hand that lay palm down on the table as he read a letter that he held in his other hand. Jenna assumed that today was a special occasion. Piers never drank unless he had reason to celebrate. Jenna gasped. "Oh no, I forgot your birthday didn't I?"  
Piers looked up at her, confused. "What? Oh, no it's not my birthday. Why would you say that?"  
"Well, I just thought maybe today was special." She told him, glancing at the rum.  
Piers smiled and stood up. "Ah, but it is a special day! I've just received the most amazing letter!" He picked her up by her waist and spun her around, causing her to laugh and smile. "King Hydros has just sent us congratulations on lighting the last two lighthouses. Not only that but he says my uncle is doing well and Lord Conservato is not." He handed the letter to her and let her read it over. "He says Conservato got so angry his face turned as purple as a plum."  
Jenna laughed and put down the letter, dancing around happily. "Oh, I'm only disappointed that I couldn't have been there to see it!"  
Piers watched her silently, smiling pleasantly. Jenna picked up the glass of rum and laughed. "Quite the daredevil, aren't you?"  
Piers took the glass and set it back down. "Jenna, when you've lived as long as I have you realize there's much more to life than temporary highs such as alcohol."  
Jenna cocked her head in a flirty way and gave him a coy smile. "Exactly how old are you, Piers?"  
Piers noticed the fire Adept's trickery right away. "Oh, no." He shook his head. "I'm not telling you." "Oh, come on. Please?" "No." "I promise I won't tell anyone." "Except everyone on board." "Why won't you tell me?" "Because." "Because why?" "Can you just forget this please?"  
Jenna put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Make me."  
Unexpectedly, Piers grabbed Jenna's shoulders and pulled her to him. "Fine, I will." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.  
Jenna blinked, surprised. Was Piers doing what she thought he was doing? She leaned forward slightly and still felt his mouth over hers. 'I guess he is.' She thought happily.  
She began to slide her arms around his waist, but he pulled away. "Well, I'm off. It's my turn to steer the boat and Felix gets upset if I forget." He walked away as if nothing had happened.  
Jenna touched her lower lip gently. It still tingled coldly from Piers icy touch. Realization quickly dawned on her. "Piers, wait!" she called, running over to him and grabbing his arm. "You didn't answer my question. You didn't tell me how old you are."  
Piers sighed and shook his head. "That kiss was supposed to make you forget. Obviously, it didn't work."  
Jenna smiled hopefully up at him. "If I ask you again, will I get another kiss?"  
Immediately, she blushed and began to stutter out an apology, embarrassed by her forward behavior. But, he put a finger to her lips and gazed tenderly down at her with his sea blue eyes. "You don't have to apologize nor do you have to ask again to get me to kiss you."  
He leaned down once again and removed his finger from her lips before replacing it with a kiss. Jenna wanted to pull away; she knew she should. As amazing as it was to be kissing Piers, she couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Isaac. Lately though, she had been thinking that her attraction to him was just a silly crush rather than love.  
Piers tentatively kissed her, slipping his fingers into the soft, silky curls of her hair. He did so uncertainly, afraid that if he moved too fast, she'd pull away. To his surprise, she pulled him closer.  
"Piers!" Felix shouted down, causing the two of them to quickly break apart. "Hey, it's your turn to steer!"  
"Coming!" Piers yelled back up, keeping his head down so Jenna couldn't see him blushing. Before she even had a chance to say a word to him, he had already begun his retreat up to the deck. Jenna sat down at the table, where Piers had previously seated himself.  
Felix came below, followed closely by Sheba, who was riding on his back. Felix looked at his sister curiously. "Jenna, why is you hair messed up?" He eyed Piers' glass of rum next to her hand.  
"Oh, it must be the humidity." Jenna lied.  
Sheba caught Jenna's thoughts of kissing Piers and decided not to point out that the air outside was dry. 


	5. Chapter Four: Return From the Dead

Chapter 4  
Saturos pushed through the snow; he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. He wasn't sure how he had survived falling into the beacon of Venus Lighthouse. But all he could do for now, was keep moving until he reached Prox. If he stopped, he'd freeze to death. His fingers finally lost all muscle control and fell limp, his cloak falling away from his hands. Luckily, he had tied the end around his neck so in case something of this nature occurred, he would not lose his favorite cloak. Up ahead he saw something move. Perhaps it was a monster, or maybe it was a traveler, or maybe it was even a Proxian. No matter what it was, he moved into a state of alertness. He tried to draw his sword but his hands wouldn't grip the hilt. His fingers refused to cooperate with him. He'd have to rely on his psynergy, even though he knew he was sapped for energy to use it. He drew closer and called out, stupidly. "Hello?"  
He was not greeted by a growl or a cheerful voice but the groan of a young woman. "I'm not dead." She sounded weak. "I'm still alive, I haven't given up."  
Saturos moved closer to where he heard the voice and through the blowing cloud of snow he saw a small figure, crawling through the blanket of whiteness on the ground. She looked oddly like Menardi. Saturos moved as fast as his legs would carry him towards the girl. He leaned down in the snow and stopped her. "Don't move, Menardi. You've been through a lot. Don't push yourself." He began pulling the girl out of the snow, up into his arm. "How did you make it all the way here?"  
The girl's head lolled back against his arm. "I crawled...and why do you speak to me as if I am my sister? Is my sister still alive?"  
"Karst?" Saturos said, amazed. He brushed snow and hair away from her face and was greeted by the sight of Menardi's sister, lying in his arms, teetering on the edge of life and death. "Where did you crawl from? Where is Agatio?"  
Karst's lower lip quivered and tears began brimming in her eyes and Saturos wiped them away, not wanting them to freeze in her eyes. "Agatio is dead, slain by Felix, Sheba, Jenna, and Piers."  
"Felix?!" Saturos exclaimed, anger setting in. "You mean he betrayed us?"  
Karst shook her head frantically. "No, we were not ourselves. We were turned into dragons. We stood in his way of lighting Mars beacon. If he had not stopped us, Prox would have been destroyed."  
Saturos sighed. "Where did you crawl from?"  
"From Mars Lighthouse. I've been crawling for nearly a day."  
Saturos could see the only parts of her that had not succumbed to numbness had been her upper arms, legs, torso, and head. The rest of her body lay limply. "If you've been crawling for a day, that means that Prox is close by." He scooped her up into his arms and stood. "Don't worry, you'll be home soon."  
"How do you know we're going the right way?" Karst asked, teeth chattering.  
"I can sense it. This is the way."  
Karst buried her head against Saturos shoulder, feeling the cloth of his cloak gently brush against the back of her head and neck as it fluttered in the frigid blasts of wind. 


	6. Chapter Five: Proxian Greeting

Chapter 5  
Saturos arrived in Prox in the middle of the night. His body ached from carrying Karst and his limbs were ready to give in to his exhaustion. He wasn't sure which house was the one that he had stayed in with Felix and Menardi nor did he particularly care at the moment. He dragged his tired body to the closest house and pounded on the door, desperately hoping someone would answer.  
To his great luck, the door did open and a very tired looking, blue- skinned, and grouchy man answered the door. "Do you know what time it is?!" he yelled.  
"No, sir, I don't," Saturos panted, the unconscious Karst nearly slipping from his frostbitten arms. "Please, I need you to let us in."  
The man's red eyes widened in amazement. "Saturos, is that you?"  
Saturos nodded weakly, slumping against the doorframe.  
The man yelled back into the house. "Viya, come down here! Saturos is back! He's alive!"  
"Viya," Saturos rasped out weakly. "I know that name. You're Smisha, the man who hired me for work when I was little."  
Smisha quickly took Karst from Saturos' arms; she coughed weakly and groaned, clutching onto the edge of Saturos scarf before the material slipped from her fingers. "Yes, lad, that I am. Now, come in out of the cold!"  
Saturos stumbled into the house and his legs collapsed beneath him. He began to fall forward, expecting a painful impact with the floor, but someone caught him in their arms. "Ah, don't go hurting yourself now. You look like you've been through enough already."  
He looked up and saw Viya's smiling face, her pale red skin and her long flowing red hair, but she looked much younger than her husband Smisha. "Viya, is that you?"  
"Of course not," she laughed, leading him to a cot. "Viya is my mother. My name is Pica." She laid thick, warm blankets over his shivering body.  
Smisha had already begun boiling water and soaking rags in it before laying one of the pieces of cloth over Karst's forehead. "Pica, tell your mother to bring me some more rags."  
"Yes, father," the young girl said and ascended the stairs.  
Saturos smiled feebly, clasping the blankets with shaking hands. "She looks just like her mother."  
Smisha nodded, pride gleaming in his eyes. "She's our pride and joy. Such a wonderous girl."  
Viya finally appeared from the staircase. "Oh, Saty, you're alive!" she exclaimed when she saw Saturos.  
The snow covered Proxian's blue cheeks turned slightly purple as a blush rose in his face at the sound of his childhood nickname. Pica coughed back a laugh. "Yes, Viya, I'm alright. A bit chilly, but alright nonetheless."  
She took a rag from the pot of boiling water and laid it over his forehead. "Everyone was saying you were dead. Felix said you fell into the beacon of Venus Lighthouse. Everyone of his friends said they saw it happen."  
"It did happen Viya but I survived. Menardi did too." Saturos frowned slightly when he brought up "her" name.  
Viya looked confused. "Menardi is here too? I thought she'd be with you."  
Saturos shook his head. "No, Viya...she did not survive the long trek back to Prox."  
Viya suddenly looked solemn, as did Pica and Smisha. Saturos sat up, breaking the sudden silence and taking the rag from his head. "I'm afraid Karst and I cannot stay here long. We shall rest awhile and move back into my house at the edge of town in the morning. 


	7. Chapter Six: Gossip and a Broken Jaw

Chapter 6  
"Oh, Saty, are you sure you won't stay a bit longer?" Viya asked as Saturos lifted a still slumbering Karst into his arms the next morning.  
"I'm afraid I can no longer impose upon you." He walked to the door and Pica opened it for him with a warm smile. "I thank you for all of your gratitude."  
He walked out of the house and made his way through the snow-covered street. All along the sides of the streets, he could hear people whispering to each other, gossiping about his long absence. "Everyone said he was dead." "Felix said he fell into the lighthouse." "Maybe a god saved him." "Maybe Felix lied." "Maybe Saturos never went to the lighthouse but just told everyone he did." "Maybe that isn't Saturos at all." "Yeah, after all, where's Menardi? She never left his side. Those two were a team, friends forever. But...isn't that her sister he's carrying?" "Yeah, what happened to her? She looks awful."  
Someone came up beside Saturos, walking along next to him. "Saturos," the rat-faced boy whispered. "Where've you been, buddy?"  
Saturos recognized the voice and looked at the Proxian boy with contempt. "It's none of your business Keiba. And I'm not your buddy, now get lost."  
Keiba grinned, leaning closer. "The whole town is saying you killed Menardi yourself. They say all you wanted to do was bang her and then have all the powers of the Golden Sun to yourself."  
Saturos stopped walking, his cloak swaying back and forth. His hands began to clench tightly around Karst's shoulder and thigh. It took nearly every iota of concentration to keep himself calm and under control.  
"But I see Menardi wasn't enough for you." Keiba continued, dropping his voice so low Saturos could barely hear him. "Now I see you're going after her sister, too."  
Saturos' calm yet cold expression was slowly changing into an angry snarl and Keiba's grin grew wider.  
"So tell me, when exactly did ya bed the little slut? We all know you did. What is before or after you killed her? Was she willing, or did she put up a fight for ya?"  
Being pushed over the edge, Saturos wheeled around, his fist making full contact with the side of Keiba's head, sending him flying backwards into the snow.  
Keiba looked up at Saturos, a look of pure terrified amazement on his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"  
Saturos glared down at Keiba, his voice dripping with malice and hatred. "How dare you speak of Menardi that way you worthless piece of trash! I swear, if I ever hear you utter a word about Menardi or even so much as look at Karst, I'll rip your head off."  
Then, Saturos turned and walked off, ignoring the people gaping at him as he passed. 


	8. Chapter Seven: First Flame Extinguished

Chapter 7  
Piers sighed as he steered the ship alongside of Atteka. Felix had decided that they would pass Jupiter Lighthouse instead of making their way to Contigo through way of the Atteka Inlet. His steering of the ship had been horrible today. He had a lot on his mind, after all. The memory of kissing Jenna kept popping up in his mind and refused to let him forget. Not that he wanted to forget; he just wished that it would come back at another time.  
He heard a clatter and a crash of wooden boxes and crates falling over and Jenna stumbled into sight. She was pale and sickly looking.  
"Jenna?" Piers called out, worriedly.  
Jenna looked up at him, her eyes swirling with a hazy mist as she continued to stumble uncoordinatedly across the deck towards him. "Piers..." she said softly, before collapsing to the ground.  
"Jenna!" he yelled, running towards her, the wheel taking a sharp turn, causing the boat the tilt violently.  
The sudden shift in direction caused Felix, Sheba, and Alex to come above deck.  
"Jenna!" Felix shouted, running towards his unconscious sister as Piers pulled her up, her head on his lap.  
The ship swerved again and Alex took the wheel. "Geez, you two! I know you're worried about Jenna but did you ever stop to think that we'll all die if this ship crashes and we drown?"  
Felix was shaking his sister's shoulders, desperately trying to wake her. "Jenna, Jenna wake up! Come on, open your eyes!"  
Jenna groaned. "No, let me go. I want to go..."  
Felix continued to shake her. "Jenna, you have to fight, you have to come back to us."  
"No, I don't want to fight. I want to leave." She continued to mumble in her sleep. "I want to go with her."  
"With who?" Felix asked, as if he expected an answer.  
Jenna's head lolled back and her hands clenched Felix's arms tightly. "Let go! I want to go with her!"  
Felix let go of Jenna's shoulders and in a sudden flash of light, Jenna disappeared into thin air. 


	9. Chapter Eight: Pyro Gone Berserk

Chapter 8  
For the first night in a long time, Garet was finally quiet when he slept, or so Ivan had told Mia. She went down towards the room Isaac, Garet, and Ivan shared. She knocked on the door and heard a crashing behind the door. "Isaac? Are you in there? Is everything okay?"  
The door opened and Mia saw him standing, panting in the doorway, looking excited and scared at the same time. "Mia, you've got to see this."  
"Heads up!" Garet yelled from inside the room.  
Isaac suddenly ducked, pulling Mia down with him as a crate soared over their head and crashed on the wall, shattering the wood into millions of pieces.  
"What in Weyard was that?" Mia asked.  
Isaac smiled softly. "Garet's powers are going crazy. Things keep bursting into flames or soaring all over the room."  
Mia stood up and pushed her way into the room, ducking as a ceramic pot flew towards her, breaking as it hit another wall. "Garet, just stop using your psynergy," she told him.  
Garet laughed and shook his head. "No way, I'm getting loads better." He held his hand out towards a block of wood. "Inferno!" Indeed, the fireballs shot from his hand, yet only a few of them circled onto the target it was aimed at. The rest of them zoomed away, engulfing other items in the room in flames. Along with that, some of the burning objects began soaring around crashing into walls.  
Mia shook her head and held her hands out, having enough of Garet's pyrotechnics. "Frost!" A light snowfall began to cover the room, extinguishing all the flames in the room.  
Isaac and Garet groaned, disappointed. "Come on," Isaac whined. "It was just getting fun!"  
Mia glared at them both, and they abruptly fell silent. "Garet, do you realize you could be seriously ill or hurt? You're psynergy is completely unfocused! I've never seen you like this."  
Garet sighed and sat down on the large bed the three boys were forced to share; some of the edges of the blankets were charred and burnt. "She said it was only going to be this way for awhile. After that, she told me my powers would get stronger."  
"Who is 'she?'" Mia asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
Garet shook his head. "I don't know. She came to me in my dreams last night. She had hair of fire."  
Mia rolled her eyes. "A dream is hardly a reason to burn a ship down. Dreams are unreliable."  
"But what about Hamma's dream about the Wise One warning everyone to look for refuge when we lit Mars Lighthouse?"  
"That's different," she told him. "That was a god, warning people of danger. This is some mystery woman in your head, telling you to be a pyro."  
Garet leaned back on his hands. "If you ask me, I see no difference." 


	10. Chapter Nine: There's No Place Like Home

Chapter 9  
Saturos looked around his old home. Everything was covered in a layer of dust. It had been forever since he had been back here. White sheets protected all the furniture. He pulled the blanket off of the couch and laid Karst down there and she stirred for a moment but then fell still again. He sighed and set to work on cleaning the house. He used a wind spell to get rid of the dust and then pulled all the sheets off of the furniture. He lit the lanterns around the house and soon the rooms were basking in a dim glow. When he finished, he sat down in a chair across from the couch Karst was sleeping on.  
"Warm..." Karst finally whispered.  
Saturos looked up, intrigued; it was the first time Karst had spoken since they reached Prox. "What did you say?"  
"Warm..." Karst repeated, her eyes opening. "They were warm."  
"What was warm?" Saturos asked, walking over to the small girl.  
Karst smiled and looked up at him with tired eyes. "His hands...I looked into his eyes and I could no longer stay upset with him. His mind had been deceived so he did what he thought was right. No man can be condemned for doing what he saw as just when he had no other opinion on the matter."  
Saturos shook his head, confused. "What are you talking about Karst? You're rambling." He stood to get some blankets. "You must still be sick. It sounds like you're delirious."  
"I'm not delirious, Saturos!" Karst shouted, causing him to jump in surprise. "I speak the truth. True, I still hate the boy with a terrible passion...but why must his eyes be so warm and kind? Why must they bring affection to the surface of my mind? Why does he make me feel this way?!"  
"Karst, I have no idea who you're talking about. Please, refrain from yelling at me. I only wish to help."  
Karst sighed in defeat and looked away from the blue-skinned fire Adept. "Do you remember Isaac from Vale?"  
Saturos smiled down at her. "Of course I do. How in the world would you expect me to forget?"  
She looked back at him. "He's who I'm talking about. The boy who killed my sister."  
Saturos blinked. "You mean you're in love with that child who nearly sentenced the world to a slow death?!" His expression quickly turned to anger as it always did.  
She scrambled to sit up. "No!" she protested, shaking her head frantically. "I'm not in love with him! I hate him! How could I love someone who murdered my beloved sister?!"  
Saturos stood, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He didn't murder your sister!"  
"Then who did?!" Karst yelled back at him.  
Saturos narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not ask me to answer that question," he told her, coldly.  
Stress overwhelmed Karst and she burst into tears, burying her face against her arms. "I want my sister back! I want her here with me!"  
Saturos got the urge to yell at her again, but he forced it down, his mood sobering greatly with the sound of Karst's crying. He shook his head and knelt down next to the couch. "Look, I want her back too, okay? Crying is not going to raise her from the dead." She ignored him and continued to cry. "If it's worth anything, crying won't solve the problem, but I know it helps. I cried too..."  
Karst suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, crying against his shoulder. "It isn't fair! It's not fair that I had to lose everybody! First my sister, then Agatio!"  
Saturos awkwardly put his arms around her, patting her back. "No one said life would be fair." He instantly regretted saying this to her because she only sobbed harder. 


	11. Chapter Ten: Mia's Rude Awakening

Chapter 10  
"Mia!" Ivan yelled, frantically searching the rooms on the ship. "Come quick!"  
Mia yawned and walked out of her room. "Ivan, what are you yelling about?" she asked as he came running down the hall towards her.  
"They're gone!" Ivan exclaimed, skidding to a stop in front of her.  
"Who's gone?" she questioned, running a brush through her cerulean colored hair. "It's six o'clock in the morning, Ivan, couldn't this wait till later?"  
"No!" Ivan yelled, shaking Mia by her shoulders. "Isaac and Garet are gone!"  
Mia blinked in surprise. "Gone? Are you sure they aren't down in the lower deck or something? Maybe they're working on the power core."  
"Mia, read my lips," he said, "They. Are. Gone! They just completely disappeared! I've searched this ship high and low and I can't find them anywhere! Unless..." Ivan peered over Mia's shoulder, "You've got Garet in there somewhere?"  
Mia's face turned bright red and she gaped at him. "Why would Garet be in my room?"  
"Oh, come on Mia, it's so obvious you two like each other." Ivan stated, waving his hand in a passive gesture.  
Mia narrowed her eyes and smacked him across the head with her brush. "I thought you could read minds, Ivan. You should already know that I have no such attraction to that irresponsible goofball."  
Ivan rubbed his head where she had smacked him. "Okay, okay, whatever, but I think we have other matters to worry about. Isaac and Garet's little vanishing act."  
Mia sighed. "I'm sure they're safe, Ivan, they're prolly just wandering around the ship using cloak or something."  
Ivan shook his head. "No, I used reveal all over the ship. They're gone."  
Mia bit her lip, nervously. "Look, whatever you do, don't tell Kyle and Dora about this right now. Wait until we reach Prox. We don't need to worry them."  
"But won't they notice that their son and his friend are gone?"  
"We reach Prox tomorrow. If we just keep it quiet and pretend we don't know anything, we should be able to pull it off." 


	12. Chapter Eleven: Garet's Stirrings

Chapter 11  
Garet lifted his head, a throbbing pain running through his body. "Isaac, I told you my powers were getting better. This time I actually avoided that vase. Too bad that crate knocked me off my feet."  
But he didn't hear Isaac's response, nor did he feel that he was on the Lemurian ship anymore. He didn't feel the familiar rocking that came with traveling the seas. He opened his eyes and saw the sky above him. At least he knew he was somewhere open. He shook his head and sat up, putting a hand to his forehead. Something warm and soft began caressing his face, and he smiled with a sigh. 'Mia?' he thought happily. 'Is that you?' He looked around but the gentle touches on his face remained. "Oh my Weyard," he thought as he realized where he was. "How did I get here?"  
The Mars light shone brightly in front of him. He was on the aerie of Mars Lighthouse. How he got there he wasn't sure. He tried to recall the last thing that happened.  
  
"Isaac?" Garet asked his childhood friend as they sat on the bed, cleaning up the room, using move. "See, I have this friend..."  
Isaac smiled knowingly. "Do I know this friend?"  
"Yeah..."Garet said slowly, "Well, see, this friend of mine is a guy and he sorta likes this other guy."  
Isaac turned, eyes wide. "Whoa, Ivan is gay?! I mean, I suspected he might but I just thought he was a bit more feminine or something."  
"No!" Garet told him, shaking his head. "I'm not talking about Ivan!"  
"Oh..."Isaac said and fell silent.  
"Well, my friend really likes this other guy. He thinks he may be in love with him. But he's not sure if he should speak up and tell his friend the truth or not. He's afraid it may ruin the friendship they have."  
Isaac leaned back on his hands as he moved a vase back onto the dresser "I think your friend should speak up. If he doesn't speak up soon, he may lose his opportunity. I'm sure his friend would understand and still be friends with him if he knew."  
Garet pulled at the blanket nervously. "Isaac?"  
Isaac turned to him. "What is it, Garet? You okay?"  
Garet sighed and leaned over, putting his mouth next to the Earth Adepts ear. "I love you, Isaac," he whispered.  
Isaac pulled back and gaped at Garet in amazement. "You...what?"  
"I'm sorry. I know this is weird. I just couldn't keep it in anymore."  
Isaac sat up and looked down at his hands. He know felt like he had nothing to do to distract him from this horrible feeling of awkwardness.  
"I knew you'd never feel the same way, but, I mean, I do love you. I love you like a brother, but I think I like you as a lot more. I just wanted you to know."  
Isaac pondered for a moment. Did he like Garet as more than a friend? "I...I think I like you as a lot more too..." he whispered.  
He looked up and kissed Garet on the mouth. His friend responded quite sensually, kissing him back slowly and deeply. Isaac's hands tightened on the blankets to keep himself from reaching up and running his fingers through Garet's fiery locks. But, his fingers began itching to touch him when he felt the Fire Adept's tongue run over his lips, playfully teasing him.  
Isaac's hands began to run up Garet's chest, and he sighed against Isaac's mouth. Then he ran his palms down his waist, causing him to shiver. In one swift motion, Garet had pushed him down onto the bed, pinning him beneath him. He pulled away and looked down at his blonde haired friend. Isaac gazed up at him with dreamy eyes. "Maybe we should wait until later to do this," he said softly. "Mia might walk in on us."  
Garet nodded and let Isaac up. He sat up as well and made the mistake of trying to use his psynergy. A vase flew at his face and he ducked it. Then suddenly, everything went black.  
  
Garet smiled. Sure, he liked Isaac. He may even love him. But lately, something about Mia had sparked an interest in him. He didn't want to think about that now, though.  
Garet looked around and saw Isaac, lying about 10 feet away from him. He crawled over to the boy and shook his shoulder gently. "Isaac, wake up."  
Isaac groaned softly and his eyes fluttered open. "Where are we?"  
"On the Mars Lighthouse aerie." He told him, trying to ignore the way his sapphire eyes sparkled so elegantly in the glow of Mars light.  
Isaac sat up. "How did we get here?" He shook his head and again Garet forced himself to take no notice of the way his hair just seemed to fall beautifully into place.  
"I'm not sure," Garet answered. Suddenly, he heard faint laughter. "Did you hear that?"  
Isaac looked around. "Yeah, there must be somebody else here."  
Garet got up and began to search around, Isaac following closely behind. They searched everywhere around the aerie but found nothing.  
"Garet? Isaac? What are you two doing here?"  
The two boys wheeled around and saw Jenna staring at them from one of the elevators. "Jenna!" they both exclaimed and ran towards her.  
She laughed and opened her arms as both pulled her into a warm hug. "How did you guys get here? Did she bring you here too?"  
"She? Who's she?" Isaac asked.  
"I am..." said a small voice from behind Jenna.  
The boys looked up and saw a girl float out from behind their childhood friend. She had a pale, cherubic face and dark, lonely eyes. Her hair was made from long tongues of fire and wavered gracefully as she smiled at them. She wore a long dress of blood red that fluttered and flapped around her legs as she landed on her feet on the red colored stones of the aerie.  
"So, you've all come to play with me?" 


	13. Chapter Twelve: Isaac's Pestering

A/N: Wow, this is the first time I've had a say  
  
Isaac: You made me gay...sulks  
  
Catzy: So what? It's cute!  
  
Garet:hugglez Isaac Yeah, come on, don't you love me?  
  
Isaac: This is all your fault! points at Catzy  
  
Catzy: shiney anime eyes Aw, how can you be mad at a face like this? It's already hard enough for me to spell your name right. I named you Raye in the games and now I can't stop spelling it that way.  
  
Garet: chokes back a laugh Raye?! Hahaha, you got stuck with a crappy name!  
  
Isaac: Shut up!  
  
Catzy: Okay, so this is my interview with Garet and Isaac...as far as you know. DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN!  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"My name...is Feronia. I have named you all. You are my friends."  
The girl pointed at Isaac. "You are Veldrin." She pointed to Garet. "And you...you are Hephestus." Then Feronia hugged Jenna tightly. "And you are my best friend, Febronia."  
The girl turned to Garet. "I have visted you in your dreams, for you were the only one to feel me pulling you when my light was lit. Your spirit awoke."  
  
Garet suddenly awoke, jumping in his sleep as one does when they suddenly awake from when they dream they are falling from an incredible height. He heard a soft groan in his ear.  
"Garet, what is it?" Isaac asked, the Venus Adept tightening his arm around his friends waist. Isaac had spooned against him in the bed last night and now, his chest was pressing firmly against Garet's back.  
Garet laughed softly and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "It's Hephestus remember? Feronia named me Hephestus."  
Isaac rubbed his nose softly on the back of his friends head. "Yeah, well I got Veldrin, what kind of name is that?"  
Garet grinned. "A stupid one...it suits you well." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing." "No, it's not nothing." "How would you know?" "Because when you say something, you say it for a reason." "Well, maybe I did." "Then tell me what you meant." "Just think about it...you'll get it."  
Garet ignored further questioning from Isaac and fell back asleep.  
  
A/N: Okay, short chapter, I know. But I'm way behind on the timeline of the other groups. I have horrible planning with plots like that. I've discovered an amazing way to stay awake...Coca Cola C2! See, it may have half the sugar but something in my body gives me more of a sugar high with it. It's so weird. Hee hee. Well, next chapter, is going to be an interview with Felix and Sheba...gets evil thoughts Hope you enjoy. R&R pwease...pwetty pwetty pwease... 


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Jenna and Feronia

A/N: Whooo hoo! I'm back after soooooo long. I'm sorry it took so long. I've been busy redoing my room and a lot of my stuff got moved around and I only found the printed version of this story about 2 days ago.

Sheba: Why exactly are we here?

Felix: Hey everyone! I brought coffee!

Catzy: Hee hee, I remember reading a fanfic on her with Felix sitting, feet up on the table, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper. I got this great picture of him with glasses and this studious look to him. Whoever wrote that please claim soon. It was really cool. I haven't been on the site in sooo long cause I didn't bother checking to see if I had reviews. I knew I hadn't gotten any. I just wish more people would review. Usually, when I don't get reviews I try and make my story better. Usually, if a story is really really good, people tell you.

Sheba: Yeah yeah, nice...what are we here for? I know it's not to just drink Felix's coffee.

Felix: hands her a cup Drink it, it's a special Lemurian mix!

Sheba: looks at the cup curiously Um...I don't drink coffee...

Felix and Catzy begin pouring their own coffee from Felix's ultra huge thermos

Catzy: Caffine highs for everyone!

Chapter 13

Jenna sat on her bed, her window looking out over the rest of the towers of the lighthouse. She had a perfect view of Garet's room and she shook her head as she saw her two best friends cuddle closer together in bed. "Garet's gay. Who would have guessed?"

Feronia sat next to her, braiding her long, red hair. The tongues of flame that poured from her head brushed against the back of Jenna's hand as she sat cross-legged. A warm, surreal sensation flowed through her with every touch of the enchanted fire. "It will not last long," Feronia said, her face expressionless as she tied the end of the braid off by pulling a strand of fire from her hair and knotting it into a bow around Jenna's hair. "The large one, Hephestus, is unknowingly in love with another. His affection towards his friend is his way of releasing the affection that has been building up inside him for his unattainable object of desire."

Jenna sighed. "Poor Garet. I'm sure if he just told this girl that he loved her, she'd realize what a fool she'd be to refuse him. Garet was always so dramatic when it came to confessions of romance. He'd tease me and Isaac all the time."

"Issac?" Feronia began a new braid in Jenna's hair. "He is the fair haired one, is he not?"

Jenna laughed. Feronia made Isaac sound like some kind of wimpy momma's boy. "Yes, that's him. You named him Veldrin."

"And you are in love with him, correct?"

Jenna blinked, contemplating. "Love Isaac? Well, I'm not sure..."

"Your heart wants to love him..." Feronia whispered.

Jenna hung her head, pulling the braid from Feronia's fingers. The little girl did not complain but only took a hold of the braid once more and continued. It was true what she said though. She had been so close to Isaac since they were children. After awhile, she really thought she loved him. But...Piers was so...something. Something that made her feel new and alive. He made her dare to be adventurous and spontaneous. Made her want to break away from Vale and travel Weyard all over again to find all the secrets of the land that she had missed before.

Feronia tied off this new braid. "You love another though...do you wish to return to him?"

Jenna smiled slightly. "Sorta...but I want to stay here as well. Both of our parties planned to arrive in Prox. Isaac's party should be here soon. I'm not sure about my brother. They said they were going to Contigo to visit Hamma."

Jenna stood as Feronia finished the last of her braids. She walked to the gold-framed full-length mirror by her large oak dresser. She smiled at her reflection, beautiful braids adorning her hair, tongues of fire tied into bows, a dress of black clinging to her hips, and a beautiful ruby pendant hanging just above her breast on a silver necklace chain. She laughed and twirled around, the dress fluttering around her legs. "Thank you, Feronia, but what is all of this for."

Feronia smiled. "For dinner tonight. I have plenty of servants to help me around the lighthouse. But I've never had real people come and visit me before..."

"But...we were here to light the beacon not too long ago."

Feronia shook her head. "This is not the world I have lived in my whole life. When the lighthouse was extinguished, the world I lived in was without life, without light, without anything. I stayed here, I was too afraid to leave. So I made creatures out of psynergy to play with me...but I was still lonely."

Jenna smiled and leaned down, kissing Feronia's forehead gently. "You won't have to worry about being lonely anymore. We'll take care of you now. Me, Isaac, and Garet will watch over you."

A/N: Well, this certainly was a confusing chapter for me. I spent half of the time looking around for my map from the game (never found it btw) and the other half I spent typing, and the other half I spent trying to fix this correctly. counts out the halves on her fingers Uh...yeah. You get the point. The last chapter I wish I could erase away. But I decided to keep it because it sorta adds to the story. It kinda stinks but I decided to keep it anyway. Reviews are greatly apperciated.


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